Swelling Revenue Makes The Village The Richest In Andhra Pradesh
Hyderabad: Shamshabad, a nondescript village till recently, is all set to get a make-over, thanks to the revenue windfall for the gram panchayat. Rajiv Gandhi International Airport and real estate boom built around the airport has changed its fortunes in less than a year. Five years ago, the village hardly got a revenue of Rs 20 lakh per annum. Now, according to the latest estimates for the fiscal 2007-08, its revenue has been pegged at a whopping Rs 3.2 crore.
The gram panchayat wants its citizens to benefit from this windfall. It has rolled out grand plans to lay underground sewerage system, cementconcrete roads and supply piped water. Civil works have commenced in areas like Shamshabad, RB Nagar, Madhuranagar, Brindavan Colony, Rallaguda, Raghavendranagar Colony.
The gram panchayat also plans to take up construction of a dining hall at the community hall and new community halls in open spaces, gram panchayat executive officer S W Ansari told media.
Real estate boom too added its bit to catapult Shamshabad to become the richest gram panchyat in the state. Its fortunes are likely to increase further due to increasing commercial activity near the airport. The gram panchayat, which has a population of just 20,000, had earned Rs 2.4 crore in 2006-07. The civic body added another Rs 80 lakh in the last one year.
In the last three years, the panchayat has been getting good revenues thanks to the real estate boom. According to gram panchayat officials, a major portion of their income is from property tax, transfer of property, advertisement tax, building permissions and entertainment tax.
“The panchayat earned Rs 2 crore as tax from property transfers, which comes mainly from the registration department. The other revenues are Rs 1.5 crore from advertisement tax and Rs 50 lakh from property tax,’’ Ansari added.
When the real estate activity was at its peak during early 2006 and mid-2007, the revenue from registration dep a r t m e n t (transfer of property duty) rose from just Rs 1.5 crore in 2006-07 to Rs 2.2 crore. In the first quarter of the 2007-2008 financial year for April, May and June, the village earned Rs 1.2 crore while it was Rs 36 lakh in the third quarter October, November and December.
With the advent of the international airport, the gram panchayat started getting revenue through advertisement tax. In the last six months, it has given permissions for nearly 60 hoardings, 30 in the last one month, all along the National Highway 7 and other prime localities.
“Last year, we had only 15 hoardings, but in the recent months we permitted 50 hoardings,’’ he said.
Two other gram panchayats—Kishanguda (Utupally) and Satamrai—have their coffers full with revenue from advertisement tax as these panchayats are abutting NH 7. However, Shamshabad cornered the lion’s share.
“In 2007-08, Shamshabad earned nearly Rs 7.5 lakh revenue through hoardings, but this year advertisement revenue could touch Rs 50 lakh,’’ another official of the panchayat said.
Gram panchayats around the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport would see steep increase in their property tax earnings as buildings in the airport fall in Gollapally, Mankhal, Maheshwaram, Mamidipally and Shamshabad villages.
The Shamshabad panchayat area is spread over 6,000 acres and the revenue villages include Shamshabad, Rallagadda and Maqta Bahadur Ali.
Incidentally, the gram panchayat lost about 2,000 acres of its land for the international airport. The tax windfall is just the prelude to the unfolding Shamshabad success story.
Courtesy: TimesOfIndia
